Finalists 2009

Best Practice in Medication Administration Award

Sponsored by Rosemont

Winner
Jo Johnson, Neuro-oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, St George's Healthcare NHS Trust and Catherine Oakley, Chemotherapy Nurse Consultant, Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Jo and Catherine developed a Patient Oral Chemotherapy Diary in order to help cancer patients and their carers to manage oral chemotherapy treatments.

Commended
Elaine Gray, Marie Curie Development Nurse, Wallacetown Health Centre, NHS Tayside. Elaine introduced District-Nurse-Led Just in Case boxes.

Child Health Award

Sponsored by LV=

Winner
Lin Graham-Ray, Nurse Consultant - Looked after children, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
Lin facilitated significant changes to improving the health of looked after children within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Now, every looked after child in the borough has a healthcare plan which enables them to achieve optimum health and wellbeing.

Commended
Specialist Nurses for Schools Community Team (Janet Beasley, Team Lead, Sarah Graham, Specialist Nurse, Hazel Johnson, Specialist Nurse, Jane Corley, CWS Support worker, Tracey Wiidowson, Secretary, Derby City Primary Care Trust). Specialist Nurses for Schools Community team developed A 'growing up/ puberty' package for children with special needs.

Healthcare Assistant Award

Sponsored by The Open University and the Royal College of Nursing Strategic Alliance

Joint winners
Natalie Rowles (near left), Health Care Support Worker, County Hospital, Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust
Natalie won the award for her holistic approach in caring for a young girl with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and learning difficulties. Not only does Natalie administer various medical procedures, she also ensures that her client enjoys a range of social activities. Natalie also instigated the redesign of her client’s home so that her client can receive care at home.

Kay Smith (far left), Healthcare Assistant, Luton Community Endoscopy Service, Luton PCT
Kay won the award for her role as Infection Control Lead. Kay has instilled best practice within the unit and as a result, patients visiting the unit can be confident of a high level of cleanliness and that their visit will be a safe experience.

Innovation in Palliative Care Award

Sponsored by Wyeth

Winner
Julie Newby, Out of Hours Palliative Care Team Manager, St Benedict’s Hospice, Sunderland Teaching Primary Care NHS Trust
Julie set up a round-the-clock service to help patients who wish to die in their own homes. Patients who are approaching the end of their life now receive the expert care they need, with a crisis management team providing support through the night.

Very highly commended
Palliative Education for District and Community Nurses (Helen Way, Practice Educator, Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust seconded by Marie Curie Cancer Care, Kay Jeynes, Head of Community Nursing, Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, Sally Anstey, Lecturer, Cardiff University, Melanie Lewis, Palliative Adviser, South East Wales Cancer Network). The Palliative Education for District and Community team developed a mandatory degree level module in palliative and end of life care for District and Community nurses.

Innovation in Parkinson's Disease Award

Sponsored by Boehringer and the Parkinson's Disease Society

Winner
Tracey Smith, Parkinson’s Disease Nurse Specialist, Danesbury Neurology Centre, Hertfordshires Primary Care Trusts
Tracey developed a detailed resource pack, crammed with information to help patients with Parkinson’s disease, plus a pill timer, to help patients receive their medication on time. The pack has proved so popular with staff, carers and patients that it will be rolled out nationally by the Parkinson’s Disease Society.

Commended
Lynne Osborne, Nurse Consultant Parkinson's Disease, Camborne Redruth Community Hospital, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust. Lynne developed pharmacist clinics to aid medication management for people with Parkinson's Disease.

Innovation in Rheumatology / Rheumatoid Arthritis Award

Sponsored by Wyeth

Winner
Lynda Gettings, Clinical Nurse Specialist Lead in Rheumatology, University Hospital of North Durham, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Conventionally, rheumatoid arthritis is managed by treating the medical symptons. However, more than 60% rheumatoid patients suffer from anxiety and depression. To help her patients cope with the psychological effects of their illness, Lynda introduced psychotherapeutic treatement involving cognitive behavioural treatment.

Commended
Sonya Stephenson, Osteoporosis nurse specialist and Rheumatology Clinical Lead, Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust. Sonya developed a Fracture Liaison Service to provide a one-stop clinics for screening/management of patients at high-risk of osteoporosis.

Innovation in your Specialty Award

Sponsored by RCN Nursing Department

Winner
Amanda Mayo, Clinical Director, Urgent Care Ltd
Amanda left the NHS to set up a nurse-led social enterprise which provides accessible urgent care to Londoners. Services include a Primary Care Paediatric See and Treat in an A&E Department, 3 Rapid Response teams answering both in and out of hours calls for GP home visits and the development of Urgent Care Centres.

Commended
Caroline Mcleod, Director, Construction Care. Caroline set up Construction Care to provide accessible healthcare to people working in the construction industry.

Mental Health Nursing Award

Sponsored by South London & Maudsley NHS trust

Winner
Joy Jones, Specialist Eating Disorders Lead, St Cadoc's Hospital, Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust
Joy set up the UK’s first nurse-led specialist service for patients with eating disorders. With a mortality rate of one in five, people with eating disorders are extremely vulnerable, yet before Joy launched her service in Gwent there was no specialist nursing service to provide the expert care and support they and their families need.

Highly commended
Joe Forster, Senior Clinical Nurse, Rathbone Hospital, Mersey Care NHS Trust
Joe ensured that both service users and staff had a voice in the design of a new 30-bed mental health building.

Nursing Innovation in Criminal Justice Settings Award

Sponsored by Ministry of Justice and Department of Health

Joint winners

John Charles de Lacy (near left), Clinical Nurse Specialist, North West London NHS Trust
John Charles launched a mental health liaison service for defendants at London’s main homicide court. The service provides an interface between the criminal justice system and the complex forensic mental health systems in prisons and secure units.

Calum Meiklejohn (far left), Service Manager, HMP Bristol
Calum developed mental health services to prisons and courts in the Bristol area. Clients with mental health needs in prisons and courts now benfit from earlier identification of their mental health needs and, where appropriate quicker referral to mainstream services.

Nursing Innovation in Managing Malnutrition Award

Sponsored by Abbott Nutrition and Age Concern

Winner
Dorothy Jeffery, Staff Nurse, St Catherine's Nursing Home, Newport
Dorothy launched ‘The 2.15 programme’ to improve the diet of underweight residents vulnerable to malnourishment, by providing tempting snacks, such as milkshakes, between meals.

Commended
Andrea Turner, Ward Manager, Southend University Foundation Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Andrea introduced “feeding buddies” to improve the nutritional intake of elderly patients in hospital.

Robert Tiffany International Award

Sponsored by RCN

Winner
Paula Hancock, Senior Lecturer, The University of Sheffield
Occupational health nurses are the largest single group of health professionals delivering workplace health services across the EU. Working with a variety of European partners, Paula has developed an online Masters programme for nurses in this specialist field.

Commended
Christina Jones, Nurse Consultant Critical Care Follow-up, Whiston Hospital, St Helens & Knowsley NHS Trust
Christina with staff from 11 other hospitals in 5 European countries evaluated the impact of a patient-diary to minimise the development of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following receovery from critical illness.

The RCN Fellows Student Nurse Award

Sponsored by Nursing Standard

Winner
Jason Towner, 3rd year student nurse, Thames Valley University
Despite heavy snow and the rest of the community nursing team unable to make it into work, Jason ensured that the community nursing service still ran. Via telephone, Jason prioritised the patients with the Community Nursing Team Leader. He then telephoned patients whose appointments could be rescheulded before setting out on foot to visit those patients who needed treatment.

Commended
Jayne Steer, 3rd year student nurse, University of Wolverhampton
Jayne while caring for a premature baby realised that engaging with patients and their families enables here to give more to her patients.

Travel Health Nursing Award

Sponsored by GSK

Winner
MASTA Medical Team, Leeds (Lynda Bramham (left), Senior Nurse Adviser, Shirley Bannatyne (right), Nurse Adviser and Leeds Clinic Manager, Michelle Sellors, Nurse Adviser, Shirley Emptage, Nurse Adviser).

Commended
Karen Olorenshaw and Yvonne Stephenson, Practice Nurses, Shipston Medical Centre, Warwickshire Primary Care Trust
Karen and Yvonne set up a dedicated travel clinic at their GP practice.